The following article by Matt Willgress was originally published by the Morning Star. It explains the Executive Order on Venezuela recently signed by President Obama and how Latin America’s left leaders have responded to this clear declaration from the US that it is aiming for regime change and the overturn of the revolution.

The following article by Matt Willgress was originally published by the Morning Star. It sets out some of Correa’s achievements since he was first elected President, including poverty reduction, low unemployment and an economy growing at four per cent a year - all underpinned by a huge increase in state investment, whose proportion of GDP has trebled in eight years.

Eight years ago President Rafael Correa was elected in Ecuador and, as in many Latin American countries in recent years, there’s been a tremendous shift in the country.

The following article by Jude Woodward, assessing the US 'Pacific pivot' strategy following Obama's recent visit to Asia, originally appeared on her New Cold War blog.

Obama’s November week-long, whistle stop tour of Asia – attending the Beijing APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation) summit, the ASEAN meeting in Myanmar and the G20 in Australia – was intended to re-launch America’s crucial Asia-Pacific (aka China) strategy, in the doldrums since Obama’s aborted 2013 trip cancelled in the context of the ‘fiscal cliff’ crisis.[1] Instead the trip merely underlined how much ground the USA has to make up in order to trump China’s growing influence in the region.

On Wednesday President Obama made a nationally televised address to the US population to confirm the resumption of prolonged military activity in Iraq and its extension to Syria, albeit without the deployment of regular ground troops.

The ceasefire deal agreed yesterday between Israel and the Palestinians represents a victory for the resistance movement. After 51 days of a relentless offensive Israel has had to stop its aggression and end its massacres and destruction in Gaza. This is a cause for celebration.